There’s something truly magical about the holiday season, and nothing quite captures that festive spirit like the aroma of freshly baked goods filling your home. Imagine starting your day with a warm, tender **Red Velvet Scone**, generously drizzled with a tangy **cream cheese glaze**. These delightful treats are not just a feast for the taste buds but also a visual spectacle, with their vibrant red hue contrasting beautifully against the pristine white glaze, making them the quintessential addition to your holiday coffee or festive brunch spread.

Indulge in Homemade Red Velvet Scones with Cream Cheese Glaze

Scones often don’t receive the widespread acclaim they deserve, yet they are one of the most rewarding and enjoyable pastries to bake at home. If you haven’t ventured into the world of **homemade scones** yet, you’re truly missing out on a culinary delight. Fresh from the oven, they boast an unparalleled tenderness, a delicate crumb, and a richness that simply can’t be replicated by store-bought versions. Every aspiring home baker should experience the joy and satisfaction of creating these fluffy, flavorful treats.

The Perfect Festive Treat for Christmas and Beyond

As the holiday season approaches, my kitchen naturally gravitates towards all things red velvet. The deep, captivating red color of these **Red Velvet Scones** makes them an absolute showstopper, perfectly suited for the festive atmosphere of **Christmas breakfast** or a charming **Valentine’s Day dessert**. Their striking appearance instantly evokes a sense of celebration and warmth, inviting everyone to partake in their deliciousness.

What gives red velvet its distinctive character? It’s the subtle touch of cocoa powder combined with the vibrant red food coloring that creates that iconic flavor and hue. These scones are thoughtfully **lightly sweetened**, and the **cream cheese glaze** is also crafted to maintain a balanced sweetness, allowing for a delightful tang to shine through. Traditionally, red velvet often gets its characteristic tang from buttermilk, but for my scones, I’m a firm believer in using rich heavy cream for an incredibly tender texture. This recipe ensures that classic tangy note through the decadent cream cheese glaze instead, offering a perfect harmony of flavors.

For those who prefer a sweeter touch, there’s an easy fix: simply sprinkle a little extra sugar over the scones either before they go into the oven or right after they’re baked. The choice is yours, and either way, these scones will be absolutely delicious.

Mastering the Art of Scones: Essential Baking Tips for Fluffy Perfection

Achieving perfectly tender and **fluffy scones** is simpler than you might think, but it does hinge on a few key techniques. These **baking tips** will guide you to success every time:

The Importance of Cold Butter

Just like with biscuits, the secret to light and flaky scones lies in using extremely **cold butter**. Ensure your butter is cut into small pieces and kept chilled until the very last moment. When you cut the butter into the flour mixture, it creates tiny pockets of butter. As these melt in the hot oven, they release steam, creating those signature flaky layers that define a truly exceptional scone. If the butter is too warm, it will fully incorporate into the dough, resulting in a denser, less tender scone.

Gentle Handling for Tender Dough

One of the golden rules for scone baking is to **handle the dough as little as possible**. Overworking the dough develops the gluten in the flour, which leads to tough, chewy scones rather than light and tender ones. Mix the ingredients just until they come together, and then gently shape the dough. You want to see some small lumps of butter throughout the dough—this is a good sign!

Integrating the Vibrant Red Color Evenly

For these stunning **Red Velvet Scones**, the deep red color is crucial. To ensure an even distribution of color throughout the dough, **always mix the red food coloring into the liquid ingredients (heavy cream and vanilla extract) before combining them with the dry ingredients**. Attempting to mix the food coloring directly into the dry dough will make it incredibly difficult to achieve a consistent hue without overworking the dough, which, as we’ve learned, is a scone baking no-no.

Choosing the Right Flour: White Lily vs. All-Purpose

The type of flour you use can significantly impact the texture of your scones. For truly tender and light scones, I highly recommend using **White Lily Flour**. This flour, widely cherished in the Southern United States, is known for its lower protein content, making it behave more like a cake flour than a typical all-purpose flour. Its fine texture helps create an exceptionally delicate crumb. While White Lily flour might not be readily available everywhere, you can often order it online. If you opt for regular **all-purpose flour**, which has a higher protein content, you’ll need to adjust the quantity slightly. For this recipe, if using all-purpose flour, use 2 cups instead of 2 1/4 cups to account for the difference in absorption and gluten development.

Serving, Storing, and Customizing Your Red Velvet Scones

Once your **Red Velvet Scones** emerge from the oven, cooled and beautifully glazed, they are ready to be enjoyed. These make an excellent accompaniment to your morning coffee or afternoon tea. For a special occasion, serve them as part of a festive brunch spread alongside fresh fruit, yogurt, and other breakfast favorites. They also make a thoughtful edible gift for neighbors, friends, or family during the holidays.

Storage Tips

To keep your baked scones fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. If they are glazed, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator to prevent the glaze from becoming too soft. For longer storage, you can freeze unglazed baked scones for up to 3 months. Simply thaw them at room temperature and warm them gently in the oven before serving. You can also prepare the scone dough ahead of time and freeze the cut wedges on a baking sheet. Once frozen solid, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and bake directly from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.

Creative Variations

While this classic **Red Velvet Scone recipe** is perfect as is, feel free to get creative with variations. Consider adding a handful of white chocolate chips to the dough for an extra layer of sweetness and texture. A pinch of cinnamon or a tiny dash of almond extract could also complement the red velvet flavor beautifully. For a different glaze, you could experiment with a simple vanilla bean glaze or even a hint of peppermint for an extra festive touch during Christmas.

Ready to bake? Here’s the detailed recipe to create your own batch of these irresistible **Red Velvet Scones with Cream Cheese Glaze**.

Recipe: Red Velvet Scones with Cream Cheese Glaze

By: Christin Mahrlig

Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 23 mins | Total Time: 33 mins

Yields: 6 scones

These Red Velvet Scones with Cream Cheese Glaze are wonderfully tender, featuring that classic red velvet flavor. They’re simply divine with a warm cup of coffee and perfect for any festive occasion.

Ingredients for Red Velvet Scones

• 2 1/4 cups White Lily Self-Rising Flour (or 2 cups all-purpose flour – see notes)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Glaze

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder until well combined.
3. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the cold butter pieces into the flour mixture. Continue until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with no butter pieces larger than the size of a pea.
4. In a separate small bowl, combine the heavy cream, red food coloring, and vanilla extract. Whisk gently until the color is fully incorporated.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry flour mixture. Pour the liquid cream mixture into the well.
6. Stir with a spoon or spatula until just combined. The dough will be shaggy. Avoid overmixing. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly floured surface.
7. Gently press the dough into a circle, approximately 7 to 8 inches across and about 1 inch thick. Cut the circle into 6 equal wedges using a sharp knife or a bench scraper.
8. Carefully place the scone wedges onto the prepared baking sheet.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 22 to 23 minutes, or until the scones are lightly golden brown and cooked through. Let them cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.
10. To prepare the cream cheese glaze, use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
11. Gradually beat in 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar until fully incorporated.
12. Beat in 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk until the glaze reaches a smooth, drizzly consistency. If you desire a sweeter glaze or a thicker consistency, add the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and/or 1/2 tablespoon milk, beating until smooth.
13. Transfer the cream cheese glaze into a small plastic bag (like a zip-top bag). Snip a small corner off the bag to create a piping hole. Drizzle the glaze generously over the cooled scones.

Recipe Notes

If you choose to substitute White Lily flour with all-purpose flour, please use 2 cups of all-purpose flour instead of 2 1/4 cups for this recipe. This adjustment accounts for the differing protein content and ensures optimal scone texture.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 651 kcal (per scone, approximate)

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.

Originally posted December 17, 2015.

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